Agriculture

The diversity and abundance of native bees on a farm, and subsequently their ability to serve as crop pollinators, are strongly influenced by two factors: suitable habitat on the farm and in the surrounding landscape, and pesticide use on the farm. The basic habitat needs of native pollinators in any location are the same – nesting or egg-laying sites, flowers on which to forage, secure overwintering sites, and a refuge from pesticides. We engage in education, outreach, research, advocacy and policy to achieve pollinator conservation across North America.

How to Farm for Pollinators

Watch Xerces’ staff in these videos on how to farm for pollinators, and learn about the important role they can play in crop production. Native Bee Conservation 101 Mace Vaughan, Conservation Director of the Xerces Society, gave a lecture on Native Bee Conservation 101 to the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) on May 10, 2007 Read more …

In order to farm for crop pollinators, it is important to know the habitat on your farm. Native bees need both food and shelter-they eat only pollen and nectar and they nest in tunnels or in the ground. In the process of gathering pollen and nectar resources, bees move pollen from one flower to another, Read more …

There are simple and inexpensive things you can do to increase the number of native bees living on your land. Any work you do on behalf of pollinators will support other beneficial insects and wildlife. Below, you will find information on providing additional sources of food and shelter for native bees, additional practices you can Read more …

Establishing wildflower habitat for pollinators is the single most effective course of action to conserve pollinators that can be taken by anyone at any scale, from small container gardens to acres or miles of wildflower plantings. Flowers provide the nectar and pollen resources that pollinators feed on. Growing the right flowers, shrubs, and trees with Read more …

Avoiding pesticide use is the best option for conserving pollinators. Most insecticides (and a handful of fungicides and herbicides) can kill bees directly or have sublethal effects that reduce the number of offspring a female bee can produce. When pesticides must be used, actions that reduce their drift (off-target movement) and maintain buffer zones between Read more …

The USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) provide financial and technical assistance to support conservation efforts for pollinators and other wildlife on farms. Conservation programs such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Grasslands Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Conservation Stewardship Program, and Conservation Reserve Program all provide support for farmers Read more …

Facing the decline of some bee populations, specialty-crop farmers are looking for new ways to ensure adequate pollination and profitable yields. Integrated Crop Pollination (ICP) is a concept that combines the use of managed pollinators (such as honey bees and mason bees) with the restoration of habitat for wild pollinators, and the adoption of farm practices that reduce negative impacts on bees. Read more.

With the advent of chemical pesticides, the contributions of beneficial insects (those that prey upon or parasitize crop pests) were largely forgotten. However, pesticides alone have not solved the problem of crop pests. “Conservation Biological Control,” is a strategy that seeks to integrate beneficial insects back into crop systems for natural pest control. This strategy Read more …